


He Took The Long Way Home

by thedarksidestolemycookies



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Ashton Kidnapped, He comes home, He's alive though, He's believed to be dead, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-28
Updated: 2014-07-28
Packaged: 2018-02-10 17:55:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,344
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2034510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedarksidestolemycookies/pseuds/thedarksidestolemycookies
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was a stupid argument. </p>
<p>And then he disappeared right before the show. </p>
<p>After three months we gave up.</p>
<p>After five he came home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	He Took The Long Way Home

The three of them all heard Ashton's scream but all three ignored it, they just proceeded to get ready for the concert they'd be heading on stage for in fifteen minutes. 

They ignored the scream because Luke and Ashton had argued again, Ashton didn't want to make another demo vocal for the Amnesia EP, he knew the boys only made him do them because they didn't think it was fair how little he sung solos in songs even though he was more than happy writing the songs and doing the chorus with them, the tiniest solo in each song.

Luke had persisted Ashton did it, not telling the latter that he adored hearing Ashton sing and wished he had copies of all their songs where just Ashton was singing. 

Michael and Calum had been involved, taking Luke's side as usual. Though they didn't have the same reasons as Luke, they still wanted Ashton to have the chance to show the haters that he could sing and wasn't 'just the drummer'.

So when they heard Ashton scream they ignored it, thinking it was Ashton's way of making them speak to the drummer.

So when Louis poked his head into the dressing room and asked if they'd heard a scream Luke denied it before Michael or Calum had the opportunity to answer.

They waited onstage for Ashton to join them.   
But when the wait hit the ten minute mark Luke knew that there was a problem. 

Ashton had screamed. And only now as Luke faced the possibility his friend, if someone you'd accidentally fallen for could still be in the friend category and didn't have their own category, was injured he replayed the scream in his head.

And that's when he realized the scream was of pain and fear. 

He sprinted offstage, shoving hus guitar into the hands of one of the assistants, ripping off the wires around his waist and the plugs in his ears as he ran, bursting into the room Ashton had been in since they arrived earlier. 

Luke let out a horrific scream of his own as he saw the scene before him.

The pool of blood on the floor, the blood splatted on the walls, the furniture, all the blood.

The trail lead to the window, the window which was smashed open, the glass shards on the floor all covered in blood, so much blood. 

Luke let out another ear piercing scream as he noticed the bandana caught on the few remaining jagged edges of the window.

Ashton's bandana. 

Ashton's formally white bandana with the black stars on, the one Luke bought him.

Ashton's now red and white bandana with black stars on.

 

 

 

 

 

Three months passed.

A ransom had been made but the band's management had refused to pay on the grounds of no proof of life. 

The band had not been told this however and only found out when their management had received the photos. 

The photos of Ashton Irwin covered in his own blood, eyes glassy and lifeless, the only colour in him being the red of the blood that had flowed out of the slash across the boy's neck, staining the white shirt he had been wearing red.

That's when the case was declared closed.

Ashton Irwin was dead.

 

 

 

 

 

Two months later a boy with curly caramel hair and dull hazel eyes stumbled into a hospital in England, several thousand miles away from where he'd been five months previous. 

The staff immediately knew he was in pain, the boy was covered in what looked like his own blood, along with many bruises that covered his once tanned skin, a possible broken wrist from the way he was cradling it in his other hand. He winced whenever he put weight on his right leg, trying not to bend his knee.

He limped over to the desk and asked for help in a voice which sounded like it'd had little use for a while. Well little used for talking. It sounded hoarse and shaky, as if he'd spent five months screaming in pain.

He'd been asked his name repeatedly but each time he had shook his head and tears had flowed down his face. He also refused a DNA test so he wouldn't have to tell them, shaking his head when asked if there was anyone they could call.

He'd said once upon a time he'd had people who would've cared but now he had nobody. 

He'd only asked a few things, what city he was in: London, what month it was: December, the date: 21st.

The doctors helped clean and dress his wounds, rub ointment into his bruises, set his wrist correctly and put it in a cast, examined his knee to find he had merely twisted it and an operation would not be necessary. 

It was also found that he had three fractured ribs which would heal without help when they'd been set. 

The many cuts which had littered his arms were not asked about, merely cleaned and bandaged. The boy had said they were not self-inflicted though which relieved and worried the doctors.

Once he was clean and patched up, settled into a hospital bed for the night he had called the doctor over, admitting his name was Ashton Irwin and he'd been missing for five months.

He begged the staff to only call the police, keep it discreet and not to call anyone else.

The police arrived after little persuasion, it had been believed Ashton had still been in America but the minute the hospital had mentioned his name several officers were sent over immediately. 

They interviewed him well into the night, Ashton answering every question thoroughly and calmly, giving the police the names of his kidnappers and descriptions of their appearances as they'd not bothered being discreet as they had planned to kill Ashton, ransom or no ransom. Along with how they'd treated him, how he'd ended up in England, how he'd escaped, rough estimations of where he'd been kept in the five months he'd been gone. 

At the end he'd begged them not to inform his family, his friends, his bandmates, or the media. 

Just his management who were overwhelmed by the news Ashton was alive and practically unharmed. 

With the doctor's approval Ashton was in Heathrow Airport mere hours later on a private jet home to Australia. 

Dylan, a secret agent of his own age accompanied him, keeping the boy safe and giving him company after months of solitude or in the company of men who wanted to harm him.

Dylan was good company, he filled Ashton in on the going ons of the past five months, giving him all the gossip and the current hottest celebrity couples. 

Ashton made note to call and congratulate Louis and Harry as soon as the fact that he was alive became common knowledge.

Once Dylan had filled him in on practically everything he finally got the nerve to ask about his boys.

Dylan explained that he'd been part of the task force to protect them when they visited England the month before to meet with the One Direction boys and told him everything.

Michael's hair had been black at the time, mourning for Ashton, Dylan had found out. But now it was hazel coloured, the closest shade to Ashton's eyes the boy could get.

Luke hadn't coped well, Dylan had caught a glimpse of Luke's wrists before the blonde had covered them in bracelets. Most of them had thankfully been healed for a while, it was only a few which had looked semi-fresh.

And Calum had gotten three tattoos, the band's logo in the same place as the one Ashton had, a small pair of drumsticks inside the horseshoe in the hope that some luck would bring the drummer home, along with the chorus of Everything I Didn't Say in Ashton's handwriting running around his wrist like a bracelet. It had been a song the two had written together and had huge significance to the band when Ashton was kidnapped. They all wished they hadn't been arguing with him in the days before and all of them had lots of things they didn't say and wanted to say.

The flight passed quickly with Dylan to entertain him and time to watch the latest films he'd missed in his time away. 

They touched down in Sydney in the early hours of the 23rd, immediately heading to a hotel that had been booked for them. 

Ashton slept for several long hours before heading to management's offices where he answered many questions again and did a short interview with a trusted news channel, Australia's main news channel infact, which would be broadcast midday on Christmas Day, the day after tomorrow. 

It was decided that on the 24th in the middle of the night when the household was asleep he would sneak into the Hemmings Household where everyone would be spending Christmas, his bandmates, his family, his bandmates' family who was like his family anyway.

After this was decided everyone was rung and came to the office, all apart from Luke, Michael, and Calum. 

That led to teary reunions and many explanations.

So come morning he'd walk into the room where everyone was unwrapping presents and just sit on Luke's lap or something as if he hadn't been missing for five months, presumed dead for two.

 

 

 

 

Ashton hugged Dylan goodbye and made his way into the Hemmings house nervously. 

It was eerie quiet and Ashton half wished he was going with Dylan to spend Christmas with Dylan's family on the other side of Sydney. 

Ashton peeked into several rooms, smiling as he caught glimpses of his mum and two siblings, Luke's family, Michael's family, and Calum's family. 

And then he found Luke's room where Luke was lying in a kingsized bed, Michael and Calum on an equally large mattress on the floor, cuddling tightly. 

Ashton bit his lip and carefully made his way round the mattress on the floor and quickly slid into Luke's bed.

He lay there for a few moments, savouring the sound of three people breathing slow and steady. 

That's when the tears he'd had pent up from the second he'd seen a face he recognized started to flow and he muffled several sobs.

"Mikey? Cal?" A sleep dazed voice came from next to him.

Luke's voice.

"Are you crying?" Luke slung an arm across his waist lazily and Ashton stifled another sob.

"Luke." Ashton let out a choked sob.

"Go back to hugging your boyfriend Mikey. He'll be better comfort." Luke groaned. 

"But-" Ashton whispered. 

"Don't deny you're dating Cal, I'm not going to be upset or mad at you when you finally admit it. You've been trying to keep it secret for... What is it?... About a month now?" Luke huffed.

"I'm sorry Lukey." Ashton whimpered, rolling onto his side and staring at Luke, unable to see him in the dark.

"Mikey...?" Luke sounded confused. 

"Luke I'm sorry." Ashton murmured. 

"Mikey you're scaring me, I'm turning the light on." Luke warned. 

"No don't." Ashton begged. 

"Why?" Luke asked. 

"Just give me until morning." Ashton begged. "Just until morning."

"Ok." Luke, although confused agreed to who he thought was Michael.

"Thank you Lukey." Ashton whimpered. "I love you. And I'm sorry."

 

 

 

 

Michael shook Calum awake frantically the next morning. 

"What is it Mikey?" Calum groaned, waking up. 

"Shhhhh!" Michael hissed. "There's someone in Luke's bed."

"That'll be Luke you dumbass." Calum huffed, rolling over and staring at Michael. "I love you but you're an idiot in the mor- Shit on a stick, you're right."

Ashton woke up at the sound of quiet whispers, he'd become an extremely light sleeper in the months he'd been gone. 

He untangled himself from Luke and rolled over and stared at Michael and Calum. 

"I'd wish you a Merry Christmas but you woke me up so go fuck a snowman." Ashton huffed.

Both jaws dropped and seconds later Michael and Calum had dived on him, hugging tightly, the three of them sobbing.

Luke was still dead to the world at eleven am when the other boys dragged Ashton into the living room excitedly, parents smiling at their behaviour. 

"Ashton, be a dear and wake Luke up would you?" Liz asked around twelve. 

Ashton nodded and headed back to Luke's room, debating how to wake Luke up.

He slipped inside the room and got back into bed with Luke, immediately running a hand through Luke's hair softly. 

"Go way Mikey." Luke swatted his wrist, eyes still closed. 

"Not Mikey." Ashton murmured.

"Fine, stop it Cal." Luke groaned.

"Not Cal." Ashton murmured again. 

"Huh?" Luke opened his eyes and the minute they focused on Ashton he was sitting up.

"I'm Ashton." Ashton smiled. 

Luke tackled him and was crying immediately, same as Ashton. 

"I'm so sorry." Luke sobbed into the crook of Ashton's neck. 

"I'm sorry too." Ashton stroked Luke's hair softly. 

"You should hate me." Luke sobbed. 

"I told you last night, I love you Lukey." Ashton spoke the truth. "I could never hate you."

"That was you?" Luke gasped. 

"I don't sound like Michael do I?" Ashton couldn't help but whine.

"I was tired and I don't know. But no. You don't sound like Michael." Luke smiled although his face was wet with tears.

"Thank fuck." Ashton smiled. 

"Oh god I missed you so much." Luke bit his lip.

"I missed you too. The thoughts of you all is what kept me alive and motivated me to escape." Ashton explained. 

Luke froze for a moment before leaning down and pressing a soft kiss on Ashton's lips.

 

 

 

 

Several hours later Ashton was sat on Luke's lap, Michael and Calum either side, all of them clinging on to him, never wanting to let go.

Family surrounded them and Ashton decided that after five long months he was finally home.

It had taken him longer than Luke, Michael, and Calum to reach home but if asked he'd just shrug and say he was taking the long way home and he never intended to again.


End file.
